Passive avoidance conditioning is analyzed in a three compartment apparatus that consists of a light compartment, a dark dangerous compartment in which foot shock was delivered and a dark safe one where the rats were not punished. It is concluded that latency increase of passive response is caused not by memory of the shock in the strictly certain place and accordingly not by shock avoidance in it, but by nonspecific defensive response (freezing) being unrelated with the shock place.

The study focuses on insertions of perfect direct repeats of words of arbitrary length in plastomes and mitochondriomes. The approach is exemplified on seed plants. Plastomes of close species were analyzed to further develop and refine published evidence on the evolution of non-coding DNA. The results suggest that insertions are common elementary events in microevolution of short noncoding DNA regions. The repeated word length is usually 5, the word length distribution is similar between plastomes and mitochondriomes.

Hydrated fullerene (HyFn) is the molecule of C60-fullerene (C60) encased in a stable shell of water molecules, providing hydrophilic properties to this complex and its solubility in aqueous solutions. HyFn, as well as chemically modified fullerenes and fullerenes solubilized in water in other ways, is known to have a broad spectrum of biological activities both in vivo and in vitro with
no signs of toxicity. HyFn and various chemically modified fullerenes in aqueous environment exhibit a peculiar chemical activity — on the one hand, they can be regarded as strong antioxidants, on the  other hand — as electron donors for oxygen, i.e. prooxidants. Given that C60 is not very active chemically and that in HyFn it is surrounded by a water shell, it could be assumed that the entire
pattern of HyFn activity is due to unique properties of the water shell formed around C60. There are also some evidences of influence of HyFn at ultra-low concentrations on biochemical processes and free-radical reactions occurring in vitro. Previously, we have shown the effect of HyFn at ultra-low concentrations on redox processes in human whole blood as well as in aqueous bicarbonate solutions. In the present study we investigated effect of HyFn aqueous solution on the growth and hanges in cultured cells during cell proliferation slowing down within a single passage and subsequent “aging” in the stationary phase of growth) of transformed B11-dii FAF28 Chinese hamster cells. The final calculated concentration of HyFn in the growth medium after serial dilutions of its original solution was equivalent to 10–19 M. It is
paradoxical, but, in contrast to the known data about absence of HyFn cytotoxicity at higher concentrations, in our experiments it inhibited cell proliferation and accelerated the process of “statio-
nary phase aging” of the cell culture. Moreover, secondary addition of HyFn aqueous solution at this calculated concentration to the cells that had already reached the stationary phase of growth caused a rapid (within no more than 24 h) death of a significant part of the cell population. Perhaps, the observed features of HyFn at ultra-low concentration are determined by some special properties of the water surrounding C60, namely, its ability to serve as an electron donor and acceptor regulating redox processes in aqueous systems, especially those in which oxygen is involved. At the moment we cannot rule out the possibility that HyFn at ultra-low concentrations affect transformed cells only. Therefore in our further studies we plan to carry out the similar experiments on normal fibroblasts possessing limited mitotic potential. Probably, the anti-aging effect of fullerenes revealed by other researchers in experimental animals is related to their antitumor, antiviral, immunopotentiating, and antibacterial activities which manifest themselves only at the level of the whole organism.                                           

The possibility of monitoring the status of aquatic ecosystems, based on registration of changes of spatio-temporal parameters of whole cells and their external structures using internal reflection spectroscopy. As a bioindikator used dialysis culture of microalgae with controlled “external environment”.

Determined the presence of PCB-TRB and PCB-TOB in the Baltic Sea, the Bering and Chukchi Seas. It was found that most of these physiological groups of bacteria reach a chronically contaminated PCB marine ecosystem of the Baltic Sea. Revealed that the number of PCB-TRB and PCB-TOB mainly depends on the concentration of PCBs in the suspended matter. The dependence is manifested against the background of the impact of other abiotic environmental factors — temperature and salinity, as well as the content of the various forms of phosphorus and nitrogen.

Variability in primary production and destruction during growth of experimental population of Scenedesmus quadricauda has been determined. Accumulation of proteins, total lipids and carbohydrates in algae sells is dependant on phases of algae population lifecycle.

Morphological variability of Stephanodiscus minutulus (Kьtzing) Cleve et Mцller from the Lake Dal’nee (Kamchatka, Russia) are studied. Slightly and strongly silicification morphotips with valves elevated or depressed in the centre are shown. Taxonomical place small-cell Stephanodiscus from another Kamchatka waterbodies with help of published data is specified.

Hair diameters distribution was studied in wild sheep species (Argali — Ovis ammon, Mouflon — O. musimon), domestic sheep (О. aries) and their hybrids. In wild species and their hybrids rather distinctly separated subpopulations of thin (underwool) hairs (10—22 mcm diameter) and thick (kemps) hairs (85—302 mcm) were detected, intermediate diameters being rare. In domestic sheep the kemp subpopulation was very poor, not distinctly separated from the underwool, maximal hair diameter being < 150 mcm. In wild Ѕ domestic crosses the kemp subpopulation was clearly expressed, shifted to lower diameter range, maximal diameters being < 200 mcm. The same restriction was found in 2-month wild species lambs, comparing with adults.